Welcome to the ExploreRI Mapper
This mapper will help you locate boat launches and other points of interest to for small boat recreation throughout the state of Rhode Island. To get started, click anywhere on the map to zoom in on that area. To zoom out use the zoom control to the left of the map. Once you have zoomed in, boat launches and other points of interest will show up on the map as clickable red icons (see the key below the map). Click on an icon to get more information about that location. If you prefer to search by criteria or simply look up a site by name, try the boat launch search page. If you have a high-speed Internet connection (e.g., DSL or Cable), you may want to try our Google-based mapping system which also includes sites in the Narragansett Bay Watershed in Massachusetts.
KEY
Hand Carry Boat Launch
Boat Ramp
Portage
Other Type of Site
The location you clicked on is a portage. This typically means there either is no road access to this location or that the site is not recommended as a launching site for some other reason. The portage may be around a dam, whitewater, or some other obstruction.
Site Name: Georgiaville Dam Portage
Town: Smithfield
ADA Accessible Boat Launch? no
Shoreline: The take-out on the lake side is low and grassy, but the stairs up to the top of the dam are steep, as is the path down the other side of the dam. This site was not designed as a portage and there is no clearly identified launching site below the dam, but the bank of the river is low and irregular so there are various reasonable choices for launching canoes or kayaks into the river.
Float/Dock: no
Parking: no
Water 'Features' At Site: dam, whitewater, pond
Note: Because one boat launch can access, say, both a lake and a river or both the upstream and downstream portions of a river, not all paddling trips at a given site will necessarily encounter all of the features listed.
Comments & Overview:This portage gets you from Georgiaville Pond into the Woonasquatucket River. The portage is about 250 feet long and is steep in places. The next mile and a half of river below the dam is rocky and only really suitable for paddling when the water is high, at which time it is an excellent but challenging river run with lots of quickwater and class I whitewater, tight turns, and the potential for downed trees and other obstructions. The rocky spillway immediately below the dam is beautiful but unrunnable and dangerous. The sides of the spillway are rocky and very steep and falling into the spillway could be fatal so caution is strongly advised around the spillway. However, you do not need to go near the spillway to use the portage.
In normal conditions you can paddle 2 miles down river from Georgiaville (with a portage at Esmond) to Cricket Park at Angel Avenue in Johnston. Before doing so check the dam at Esmond Park to make sure you know how you will handle this portage, because the best way to portage here depends on the water level. When the river is high it is possible to run this dam with care. At low water levels the top of the dam is dry and you may be able to lift your boat right over the dam. At intermediate water levels a portage around the dam may be necessary (but not easy depending on the water level).
You can walk to the Georgiaville Dam Portage from the Georgiaville town beach, but it is a long walk if you are carrying a boat, and since boats can be launched at the town beach (permit required to park) there is no need to carry a boat to the portage. For more information on that site, see the separate listing for it.
For more details see the full site report
The data on this website comes from many sources, including volunteers and organizations across the state of Rhode Island and nearby parts of Massachusetts. We have done our best to make sure the data are accurate and up to date, but any information critical to the success of your trip should be confirmed before you start. The maps and information on this website should not be substituted for nautical charts, topographic maps, or other more detailed maps and guides. We welcome corrections and additions. To send a correction or provide other feedback, please use our feedback form.
Credits: The data for the base maps was provided by the Rhode Island Geographic Information System (RIGIS) and the Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MassGIS), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Executive Office of Environmental Affairs. The site data came from numerous sources and organizations. Much of it was collected through the hard work of volunteers for various conservation, watershed and outdoor recreation groups around the state of Rhode Island.